Can anyone suggest any other medication besides Keppra for seizures?

Good morning @1710dave
I know from my own experience with Keppra that that is a sign on toxicity. Have you discussed the symptoms with your physician? Have they drawn a levetiracetam trough to see what your keppra level is? My Mayo Clinic physician took my off the keppra immediately when I developed similar symptoms. But it is difficult to suggest anything else because every anti seizure medication treatments are aimed at different treatments. Have you been evaluated by an epilepsy clinic?

Always other options.
Dawn

I tried cleveland clinic and at first we did everything by phone and all they did was up the dose of keppra to double what I was taking and made thinks worse.I was to go to akron general for test and the neurologist said she doesn't go there anymore and I would have to drive to cleveland and i could not do that so she ended everything with me.

@1710dave
Here’s some information that you might find helpful.

I highly recommend contacting your insurance company to see if Mayo Clinic is in your network. I went through Mayo Clinic’s Epilepsy Center and I haven’t had a seizure since. They are fantastic. Before going through the seizure clinic, I was having seizures daily for several years tried dozens of different medications and always felt horrible. They admitted me to the seizure clinic and after 10days I was taken off all my old medications and started Trileptal which was the perfect drug for me! No crazy or weird side effects for me. But keep in mind ever patient is different what works for me may not work for you which is why their clinic is so perfect. They find what WORKS FOR YOU!

Time for second opinion.
Dawn 😉

My son started on keppra for focal seizures. He had bad side effects & could not get to recommend dose. Trileptal worked for him as well. We went to 2 level 4 epilepsy clinics ( Mayo being second opinion).
Good luck,
Jennifer

@1710dave, after my brother's EEG at the hospital did not reveal what lobe area of the brain might be the origination point for the seizures, I researched and came across the website Epilepsy Society where they list 16-classes of anti-epileptic-drugs (AED's). There appears to be a variety of AED's, each class seems to have a different mechanism of action, effect on the brain, metabolism in the body, and some with similar side-effects. My brother has been on Keppra since 2014 and the therapeutic level (trough) for his 750mg BID is supposed to be between 4.0 - 24.0 mcg/mL. His blood tests have shown values of ~14.0 mcg/mL. The meds make him very drowsy and limits what we're able to do with him (physical/speech therapy, ROM, appts), even while bed-ridden. Because he cannot speak/communicate with us, we've read his facial and audible queues to try to gauge whether the meds make him feel very negatively. I expect the meds make him feel much like many others I've heard describe their experiences with Keppra. After the EEG at the hospital, the doctor prescribed an adjunct AED, zonisamide (100mg, 1X-eve). When we introduced the CBD oil earlier this year and lowered the dose of zonisamide to 50mg, he had a couple of grand mall seizures in one afternoon. This led us to think the zonisamide might be have a more significant role in control of seizures. We will re-visit the lower dose of zonisamide as we increase the CBD oil to determine if the oil side-effects he experienced can be managed. Our thoughts at this point are the CBD oil likely has less negative impact/damage on the body, short-term and long-term, than any of the AED's.

@downsynsz, I noticed that you wished to post a URL to a web resource with your post. You will be able to add URLs to your posts in a few days. There is a brief period where new members can't post links. We do this to deter spammers and keep the community safe. Clearly the link you wanted to post is not spam, so allow me to add it here:

- List of anti-epileptic drugs https://www.epilepsysociety.org.uk/list-anti-epileptic-drugs

Thank you so much for this information. After verifying your insurance coverage, how did you get an appointment? I do not have them daily. Very infrequently. Only two three months apart. Original cause was a fall that caused a sub earl hematoma in my brain . That’s healed but the two doctors I have seen insist on continual Keppra to prevent them. I hate the side affects. I am just not myself and tired most of the time. I will call Mayo a# soon as I can after the holiday. Bless you!

@prichmond
Hello and welcome to Mayo Clinic Connect.
If you don’t mind sharing what type of seizures do you have?
How long have you had them?
Are you having mood-related side effects from the Keppra?

Keppra is a broad spectrum Anti-convulsant, here is a list of some other broad spectrum’s.

*Clonazepam / Klonopin*
A Benzodiazepine.

*Clorazepate / Tranxene-T*
Another benzodiazepine

*Ezogabine / Potiga*
This is a last resort medication from what I know about it. It may cause retina issues. Get eye exams every six months.

*Felbamate / Felbatol*

*Lamotrigine / Lamictal*
This drug may cause a rare skin condition called Stevens-Johnson syndrome which is potentially deadly. If your Asian be sure to have DNA testing before starting it. This is generally a very effective drug.

*Levetiracetam / Keppra*

*Lorazepam / Ativan*
Atavan is used to treat status epilepticus It’s a type of benzodiazepine and shouldn't be taken long term

*Primidone / Mysoline*

*Topiramate / Topamax*
I refuse to take this medication primary because of potential eye problems. Topamax is well known in Epilepsy circles as ”Dope-a-max” even some Neuros call it that. Side effects are quite common with it including cognitive issues and probably one of if not the worse at causing Aphasia, difficulty in finding words/fluency issues. my mothers doctor tried to give her Topamax for her headaches but I said there’s no way.

*Valproic acid / Depakote*

*Zonisamide / Zonegran*
Zonegran may cause cognitive problems, weight loss, and kidney stones. My own personal opinion is that all seizure medications cause some degree of cognitive dysfunction.
Best of luck,
Jake

What type of seizures do you have? Tonic Clonic, Partial, Focal, and/or idiosyncratic? This will help me figure out which meds are targeted to your specific abilities and condition.

Hi @1710dave
There are many anti-seizure medications on the market. Have you tried another medication besides Keppra? As mentioned by others you should talk to your doctor about it, because as far as I know there are medications that are more appropriate to focal epilepsy and others to generalized epilepsy.
If you have tried two anti-seizures medications and you did not control your seizures or did not tolerate the medication, it is best to have an appointment at an epilepsy center. After you have tried two medications and did not have success, the chances of controlling seizures through medication are lower than 5%.
I myself have tried 6 different medications that I did not tolerate or did not control my seizures. However, doctors continued to push me other anti-seizures medications. This year, I decided to have an appointment at Mayo Cinic Epilepsy Center, something I should have done earlier. As I already suspected, I have refractory epilepsy and my chances to control seizures through medications are very low.
Best of luck to you!